My Little "Wrastlers"

The kids are down "wrastling" while Jason walks on the treadmill. Apparently they each have a special "wrastling" name:

• Gordon: "Animal Mixer" because he can act like all kinds of animals.
• Teeny: "Ponycorn" because she is half horse, half unicorn.
• Bud-Jack: "Kick-slapper" because he kicks and slaps.

A Little Potty Talk

BUD-JACK:

He made it all the way to the stream with a blue suitcase full of stuffed animals. He suddenly stopped on the bridge, put his hands on his hips, and looked up at the sky. He had come to a moment of decision: go all the way back to the house to go to the bathroom, or have an accident where he was. So, he did what most any boy would do in such a situation: he pulled down his pants and peed over the side of the bridge.

M&M:

What you *don't* want to see in the bathroom: your one year old dipping a pair of dirty underwear into the toilet and then sucking. I almost vomitted.

She'll Never Be This Young Again

She'll only be this little baby tot for a few more months, another year at the longest. She won't always nuzzle up to me, under my chin, in my arms, all through the day. She won't always smile and give me slimy open-mouthed kisses, over and over. She won't always hold my hand tightly and go willingly to her room for a nap. She won't always stop her crying on sight of me or smile as soon as I enter a room. She won't always be smeared with chocolate chips and bear crumb-encruted, dimpled hands. She won't always dance to television show theme songs or pat her chubby belly with contentment and happiness, even pride. She won't always trust everything I say, like everything I do, or want to spend every minute with me. She won't always need me. I guess I'd better enjoy it now, while I can.

From june09

All in a Day's Work

While I deep cleaned the bathrooms and bedrooms this morning, Bud-Jack. . .

Managed to get the downstairs bathroom mirror from on the counter behind the sink to face-down on the floor.

He also had that bathroom counter flooded with water and was "cleaning" with a hand towel.

Poured the rest of a container of cleaner out into the upstairs bathroom sink, and was about to fill it with liquid soap.

Doused M&M's crib with spray cleaner.

Also soaked an area of Teeny's bedroom floor.

Opened the basement door and let the cats out into the house.

Opened the back door and let the cats and M&M out into the yard.

Had a cat food snack with M&M.

Dumped out the entire cat box onto the basement floor.

Stripped the guest bed in the basement.

Scattered a hoard of small pinecones all over the basement floor.

Pulled down the new box of laundry detergent, spilling several scoop-fulls on the floor in the process.

While I was deep cleaning the kitchen and folding laundry, Bud-Jack. . .

Escaped out the family room window. . . pantless.

And left the window open for M&M to climb out.

Made himself an Oreo sandwich which was, in fact, an Oreo cookie between two pieces of bread.

Half-ate about three apples.

Why does it seem as if he's getting more done in a day than I am?

What's Your Favorite Holiday?

I took a poll at the lunch table yesterday. I was wondering what everyone's favorite holidays were.

My favorites are:

1. Christmas (of course -- I live Christmas up big-time)
2. Easter (including Mardi Gras and the season of Lent)
3. Birthdays (my kids' birthdays, that is)

Gordon's were:

1. His birthday
2. Halloween
3. Thanksgiving (I think the trend here is food and lots of desserts/sugar)

Teeny's were:

1. Christmas
2. Thanksgiving
3. Valentine's Day (I thought that was interesting)

Bud-Jack's was:

*Hot dogs (???)

I'm crazy for holidays. I can come up with something to celebrate just about every week. And while I still think many of our holidays/traditions are important, knowing what the family's favorites are helps me to know where to expend the most time, energy, thought, and money.

Kiddie Cutenesses

Teeny calls centipedes "limapeas".

I swear, when M&M babbles it sounds like she's saying, "Cupcakesrainbowsandkittycats".

Compassion, Baby Style

Yesterday, I got to witness my little M&M developing compassion.

After having a jar of bubble gum taken away from him, Bud-Jack broke into tears next to M&M. M&M stood and stared at him with a concerned and confused look on her face. Then she hugged him around the waist. When he continued to cry, she tried holding his hand. When that didn't work, she picked her doll off the ground and tried twice to hand it to him. Finally, she decided it would be best to just stand next to him and wait for the tears to pass.

Would that we were all as good at showing compassion as a little one-year-old.

Kid Cuteness

The other day we drove past a familiar blue roofed building where we got our two wonderful cats. As we drove by, G said to me, "I know how to spell pets, Mom. SPCA."

Tonight as I put Bud-Jack to bed, he gave be "a little kiss" on one cheek, then "a nover kiss -- a big one" on the other cheek, then "one more kiss" on my forehead. It's nice to be loved.

One Toy Lawnmower Given. . . Check!

So far, Bud-Jack has been so amazingly cute this birthday, I just had to get some of it down "in writing".

This morning he came down in his usual grumpy manner and flopped on my lap with a scowl on his face. . . Until he saw the balloons and streamers in the kitchen. "Look dat!" he said. "That's for your birthday!" "Yeah?!" he replied with a big smile.

Breakfast was donuts, and Bud-Jack's was delivered with three lit candles in it. He was so excited. . . He smiled proudly and then began blowing half-way through the song.

After breakfast he received his first present -- his toy lawnmower (from Teeny). He immediately set to work mowing our huge yard. I believe he actually thinks it cuts the grass. He is still at it, going in as straight a pattern as a three year old's attention span will allow, and angrily throwing toys he finds out of his way. . . just like his father.

Next up, a lunch of hot dogs and mac 'n' chac and then his gift from me -- a baseball glove and ball. I forsee a brotherly game of catch in our future.

What You Might Find if You Looked Out My Back Door at Any Given Moment Today

G playing soccer, using the door to the garage as his goal.

Teeny stringing a bunch of fabric fall leaves on a thin ribbon. She says it is going to be a necklace.

Bud-Jack walking around the deck with a Cup-of-Noodles and a fork in his hands and noodles hanging out his mouth.

M&M doing stunts on the play car.

Bruce (the cat) catching field mice. . . and bringing them inside for my "enjoyment".

Momma Groundhog out watching her *eight* kiddies play and explore our neighbor's yard!

No Longer My Baby

Little M&M turned one year old on Friday, passing over the great divide between baby and toddler. She'll always be my little baby, but that first birthday always chokes me up a bit. It was everything you could wish for for a birthday -- the sun shone brightly, some of the grandparents came to visit, and there were all the things a little one year old girl could wish for to eat and play with.

We began the day eating Fruit Loops and drinking apple juice in the pink and white decorated kitchen. After breakfast M&M opened her first ever birthday gift: A cute pair of shoes picked out by her big sis, Teeny.

From birthdayngraduation

Little M&M took a quick morning nap so that she would be cheery when Ging-Ging and Papa L. got here. After she woke, we all had pizza, fresh veggies and dip, and strawberries together with chocolate dipped pretzels and strawberries as a dessert. She then opened her second present: a Sesame Street bath toy from G, and we all headed out to play in the water.

From birthdayngraduation

And we had one more little nap before grilled chicken, shells and cheese and broccoli for dinner followed by more presents. She got a Little People car with a mommy and baby from Bud-Jack, a little piano/xylaphone from Mommy and Daddy, and three cute outfits and a stuffed Eyore from Ging-Ging and Papa. Then, the grand finale, the cake and ice cream. What do you think she wished for? She wouldn't tell me.

From birthdayngraduation

Beautiful. . . messy face and all.

Spring Antics

So, each of my little guys greets the warm weather with their own flare. I just sit back on the deck or in the sunroom and watch as they attack the world.

G has a "best friend" down the stream that he seeks to play with daily. Together and apart these two confine a good bit of their play to the stream, making "secret potions" with the water, building dams, and digging for all sorts of water critters. When they aren't busy at this water play, they are practicing every sport from baseball to basketball to tennis and everything in between.

Teeny's favorite outdoor activity is collecting dandelions and any other permissable flower she can get her little hands on. And, being the little fish that she is, she lives for time in the "pool" which is a plastic sandbox bottom that they occasionally fill with water. I seriously need to sign this girl up for swimming. She also loves running around the yard as I turn our hose into a sprinkler for her.

Bud-Jack, well, as usual he has the most unique way of greeting the season. He takes off all his clothes and his diaper and runs around the house and yard naked. I suppose this is his way of thanking the good Lord for warm weather -- a sort of offering of himself. He literally spent all of yesterday naked, despite my many efforts to clothe him. I could discipline his little streaking sprees, but they are what I think may actually get him potty trained; so I rest contented.

And my dear little M&M, who will turn the ripe old age of one next week, is enjoying walking. She walks in the sunroom, she walks on the patio, she walks on the deck, she walks in the grass. And, wherever her little feet take her, she finds something new to explore and perhaps chew on -- rocks, dirt, flowers, grass, kitty cats. . . It must be exciting to be almost one.

But being a mother of young children, I am finding, is also exciting. It is all I can do to get up and get myself cleaning some days. The warm weather and the vision of my kids at play outside constantly tempts me away from my indoor responsibilities. So, I do what absolutely needs to be done and rush outside to join in the fun.

Their Artistic Bents

I've been considering this recent post of mine and observing my children. It seems that all of my children, when they reach the age of about 2 1/2, begin to show definite artistic bents.

G is a born story teller. Every day he is thinking up new tall tales, and he will gladly entertain anyone who will listen. He even has a series of stories that he has begun about something called "The Egees". He tells stories about dinosaurs, dragons, zoos, ancient civilizations. . . His imagination goes wild, and he just wants to share his thoughts with someone.

From extra

Teeny, I have mentioned before, is my little artist. She has a way of being neatly detailed in her drawings that just astonishes me. And she wants to learn to draw more things, often picking up a pen and a piece of paper to copy something out of a book. Her pictures are, for her age, amazing to me. So amazing that I am putting one of them on a bag for myself.

From extra

Bud-Jack, I have discovered, has quite the dramatic flare. He definitely has a future in community theater if we can instill a little more boldness in him. His latest act is to lay down, eyes open and ascance, body limp, and say in a deep voice, "Mommy, me dead. Look, me dead." And he is forever repeating lines from movies, just as they are said in the movies (minus the correct pronunciation).

From extra

So, what is a mother to do with all this creativity and artistry going on about her? How can I best put my energy into ensuring that my children will carry these artistic bents with them into adulthood? I think a good journal and a multitude of notebooks, paper and pens will do G a world of good. As he gets older I can submit his stories to contests and child-friendly publications and then teach him how to choose and submit stories on his own as he gets older. Teeny, I have known for a long time, needs a good stash of art supplies, especially sketch pads and colored pencils. I also intend to eventually look into art classes for her; and, hey, she could illustrate G's stories. And Bud-Jack needs praise, props and prompts in his acting now. He needs to gain boldness in crowds and then to be put in community theater (thank heavens J was once into this acting thing) to use his dramatic skills.

Wow, how exciting all this looks in print! I wonder what little M&M's artistic bent will be?

Take some time in the next few days to observe your kids and figure out what their creative bents are. Then make a list of definite steps you can take to encourage their creativity and commit to seeing these steps through. And don't forget that the most important and neccessary thing you can do for your creative little ones is to listen, look, watch. . . and then respond. . . positively.

The "Beauty" of Boyhood

Picture, if you will, a little boy of almost three. On his bare feet he has a small pair of mud-caked snow boots. His baggy jeans have mud all over the seat. He is wearing a long-sleeved camoflauged shirt. Surrounding his wide gap-toothed smile is chocolate icing that he snuck from the cabinet when his mommy had her back turned. His nose is both runny and crusty all at the same time, and his matted hair is topped with his older brother's big blue and red bike helmet.

Beauty.

Mid-Trip Musings. . .

J has seriously contemplated moving to the beach. Or at least selling our home, buying a less expensive one, and then buying a small cottage down here to live in half the year. We have also craigslisted RVs.

I finished Murder on the Orient Express in just a matter of days. I loved it! I love all the reading I can get done when on vacation. Our first day here I just sat out on a sunny deck reading while the kids soaked in the "hot pool" or watched TV.

G and I have discovered the joy of Mancala. We have been playing together obsessively. I'm thinking we may have to buy the game when we get home.

Teeny is literally obsessed with the "hot pool". Not an hour goes by that she does not ask about going in.

We often ask the kids what they'd like to eat for a given meal. Bud-Jack *always* says, "Hot dogs and chicken wings." A-l-w-a-y-s.

M&M took her first steps!!! And she seems to be attracting attention wherever we go. The Park Ranger at Fort Raleigh NHS referred to her as the "Sunshine and warmth" that a visiting lady said she was missing on this vacation. Isn't it nice when someone complements your children?

You Want a Piece of Me!?

That is what I feel like saying to my four dear children sometimes. It seems they all want a piece of me all the time, all at the same time.

M&M gets me. . . well, almost any time she wants. She nurses and she probably is the one that gets most of my attention right now. I'm sure the others covet her ranking on the "totem pole" of kids here.

Bud-Jack is second in line at this point. He still gets me at nap time, diaper changing time, and in the middle of the night when he crawls into bed with J and I.

G comes next thanks to school. He gets at least an hour of my undivided attention.

Poor Teeny, the one who probably needs one-on-one time with me the most, gets it the least.

Most of the morning, G begged and begged me to go out and play catch with him (he's prepping for T-ball in May -- signed him up today). I finally got around to it this afternoon. We all went outside. G and I played catch while M&M played on the deck, Teeny searched for her friend down the stream and dug in the mud beside me, and Bud-Jack occasionally tried to join in the game but mostly climed on the yet-leafless lilac bushes/trees.

When we came in, Teeny begged and begged to help me make dinner; but first I had to feed the baby her late lunch. While I fed her, Bud-Jack begged and begged, "Baby share! Pease!?". When I offered him his leftover lunch he literally threw it across the table, cried, and forced his way into my lap. He didn't want baby to share her food, he wanted her to share Mommy.

So, after I finished feeding the baby, I took Bud-Jack up to bed and cuddled with him for a while. Then I remembered Teeny and dinner.

I finished up snuggle time with Bud-Jack and went down to make dinner with Teeny -- who, incidentally, got the credit for mixing up the black beans for the meal tonight.

So, what to do? I think M&M is good to go on Mommy time. Bud-Jack will get me at nap time; and if he misses nap time, I'll do some cuddle time with him in the late afternoon/early evening. G will continue to get me at school, but we'll probably keep practicing baseball in the afternoons for the next several months. And, since she seems interested, Teeny will keep helping with dinner prep -- I'll guard that time from the other three -- no one helps but Teeny. I'd also like to start going for evening walks with her so we can have Mommy-daughter talks.

Oh, and then there is J. He gets me after the kids go to bed!

Sometimes I Wish I Was Two

Bud-Jack is just full of imagination, expression, words. The world is an exciting place to him; and when he begins to find life just a bit dull, he livens it up with some good ole-fashioned imagination.

A couple days ago, there was a lion in our mini-van. We needed to call Daddy to shoot it dead.

The other day when Teeny accidentally hurt M&M, the police were coming to get Teeny. "Funny Daddy call them."

And this morning, his "fens" the dragons were on their way to "my home".

Every day it is some new exciting fantasy he is playing out with us -- some new creature or adventure.

And in the middle of the night, when that imagination backfires and leads to a nighmare, the little guy gets to crawl in a big bed and snuggle up close to Mommy and Daddy.

What a life.

A Couple Subjects We Must Need to Work On

GEOGRAPHY

G: "I can't decide what I want to be when I grow up. Like, do I want to be Chinese or. . ."

Realmomma: "Wait, you can't just become Chinese. That isn't something you become. You have to be born Chinese. It's a nationality."

G: {Look of extreme disappointment at this revelation}

Realmomma: "When you get older, you can *marry* someone who is Chinese."

G: "But then I'll have to learn how to speak Spanish."

Realmomma: {sigh}


MATH & SCIENCE/CALENDAR

G: "What day is it?"

Realmomma: "Tuesday."

Teeny: "It's not Tuesday! It's Summer!"

Realmomma: {Wrong on both counts, my dear.}

So Cute I Had to Post It Early. . .

From purimworms

What do we think? Model or Ballerina?

The Ups and Downs of Having Littles

G has almost memorized all of Luke 2:1-20. We move next to Matthew 28 -- the story of the resurrection. His brand new bottom tooth is coming through already -- a nice big one that he is quite proud of. He has become quite the demolition man, and consequently has had his room cleared of almost everything. . . including the tools that Santa, ahem, brought him for Christmas. He also recently got the inside of his snow boots wet, but insists on wearing them for some reason unknown to me. His one solution to the problem, shoving colored tissue paper into the boots before putting them on, turned his socks a variety of pretty colors. We now refer to the coveted socks as "The Rainbow Socks."

Teeny got a few new shirts recently and has loved every minute of wearing them. She too has become a bit obsessed with her snow boots. Not sure what that is all about. She had a rough day on Friday. First, during a game of hide-and-seek, she climbed half way up a very tall pine tree and couldn't figure out how to get down. Then her younger brother pushed a piece of wood over on her and cut her head. She topped it off by biting her tongue. Yet she didn't once scream as loud as she does when G makes a funny noise that annoys her.

Bud-Jack is as cute as can be. He is a big Indiana Jones fan and most often tries to get himself out of trouble by saying cute things like, "Nope. Me Jone. Dis me whip.", "Dis me gun. Han up. Pakew, pakew.", or singing the Indiana Jones theme song while running around in circles. Such cuteness even softened J's heart the other day when Little "Doc Jone" took his "whip" (a belt) and whipped our flat-screen TV, cracking the screen and ruining the picture.

M&M has become even more personable in the last few days. She has taken to talking very aggressively and excitedly if you will talk back. She has also developed a very hearty laugh that takes her daddy by surprise sometimes. And there is also her cute little sideways glances that melt our hearts too. I really need to get some new pics of her because no description can do her justice. And this I remember when she wakes up early in the morning, just before sunrise, and decides she is going to have a hard time going back to sleep.

Kids are a handful. They try my patience like nothing else in the world. But God made 'em cute for that very reason. No matter how much sleep they cost me or how many TVs they break, I'll never stop loving their little unique selves; and I know I'll miss these days like crazy when they grow up.